JOHN SMITHS MAGNET BITTER, anyone?

[seymour]

I saw this recipe in the Norm's Recipes/Roger Protz' Real Ale Almanac thread:

Has anyone brewed this? Thoughts, tips? Which yeast strain do you recommend?

JOHN SMITHS MAGNET BITTER - The Brewery Tadcaster

25 litre batch
OG: 1040
ABV: 4%
IBU: 37
Colour: 32.5 EBU

PALE MALT, 3250 g (=84%)
BLACK MALT, 41 g (=1%)
SUGAR, 580 g (=15%) Added to Boiler

HOPS Boil time 90 minutes

TARGET 31 g

Yeast of your choice.

[Dennis King]

Others may disagree but I think John Smiths is the worst bitter in production today. Went to a family occasion a few years back with only JS and Fosters on sale. After the first pint I wished I had driven and only drank soft drinks.

[alfie09]

did you carry on drinking after though ?

[boingy]

Mmmmm... canned John Smith's Smooth Flow served warm.
Pure fairy liquid in a can.

[Dennis King]

did you carry on drinking after though ?

Yes, wine

[Fuggled Mind]

I have to ask; Did it ever taste any good? I started off drinking John Smith's (all of them including chestnut mild) and was always happy with it. Mind you I was 16 then and it was long before all this smooth pour/cream flow type crap.

Cheers

Jason

[gnutz2]

No thank you

[seymour]

Okay, everyone. I can tell from the consensus this is one to avoid, not deconstruct. Noted

[themadhippy]

Think john smiths is double filtered,to make a home its pretty simple,drink sevral pints of average bitter,piss into bucket,drink piss,piss into bucket again and youll have something very close to john smiths

[seymour]

Yikes, I had no idea it was that bad. I've never had it, so I'll take your word for it.

You all need to go here and tell the world: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/john-smith ... ask/22129/
Nothing written there to indicate how horrible this beer apparently is to true Englishman.

But, okay, let me ask the question a different way. Do you see anything in the recipe listed which would intrinsically lead to awful-tasting beer? It looks like a pretty plain-Jane bitter recipe to me, even counting simple sugar which many "reputable" brewers use. I'm sure the terrible taste you're all describing is more attributable to their manufacturing and distribution processes than the ingredients, per se, right?

[Dennis King]

Although it is unpalatable to me it is the biggest selling bitter in the UK. but I think this is because in a lot of places it is the only choice bitter, I guess it's the same in the states with bud.

[alfie09]

i quite like it my self

[Twistedfinger]

I don't think the OP was talking about John Smiths Smooth, which is pretty Pish Poor. I think he might be talking about "Magnet" which was a staple bitter of many a working mans club in the North. There were 2 versions I recall "electric" which was pumped from the cellar and a "Handpull" .

[Fuggled Mind]

I don't think the OP was talking about John Smiths Smooth, which is pretty Pish Poor. I think he might be talking about "Magnet" which was a staple bitter of many a working mans club in the North. There were 2 versions I recall "electric" which was pumped from the cellar and a "Hand pull" .

This is what I wanted to know. Was it ever a good pint?

When I was drinking John Smith's all those years ago, it was hand pull only and I liked it but that was about 1992. Now I don't even know if you can still get it on cask. It's either smooth pour in cans or on keg type contraptions in pubs. I agree with everyone else on that point. Vile stuff that hardly deserves to be called 'bitter'.

Cheers

Jason

[Twistedfinger]

This is what I wanted to know. Was it ever a good pint?

Well Jason I sure drank enough of it so it wasn't that bad. My local in my home town (Hole in the wall, Darlo' ) served it but stopped a while back, I don't live over that way anymore so I'm not sure when. I avoid those cream flow brews as they are all crap. It went the same way with Boddingtons, good pint ruined by marketing hype and big Conglomerants pushing the next big thing. Cream of Manchester my arse..